


Cobalt Blue and Scarlet Red

by fezwearingjellybananas



Series: Iris West-Allen Appreciation Week 2020 [6]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, F/F, Iris West is The Flash, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fezwearingjellybananas/pseuds/fezwearingjellybananas
Summary: Iris had seen Barry's funeral when she'd run to the future. And they had three days and still no idea who Cobalt Blue even was, let alone what he wanted with Barry.She was sure Barry wasn't Cobalt Blue though, even if they had arrested him for it
Relationships: Barry Allen/Cisco Ramon, Kendra Saunders/Iris West
Series: Iris West-Allen Appreciation Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798396
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Cobalt Blue and Scarlet Red

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Iris Week Day 6: Flash Iris/Super Iris
> 
> A sort of ish sequel to the Coffee Shop AU but a few years after that, and it's just gone midnight so I'm sorry I'm a little late, but it took slightly longer to write than I anticipated.

Cisco was almost hyperventilating.

“Cecile is a very good lawyer,” Iris said. “If anyone can help Barry, it’s her.”

“We can’t just leave him there,” Cisco said. “There’s only two more days and he’s been arrested; I’m not having the last two days with my husband be him in custody for something he didn’t do.”

“We’ll save him. It’s what we do, remember?”

“We get him into these situations! Girder, Captain Cold twice in a row, Reverse Flash, Turtle, Zoom, they’ve all kidnapped Barry because of us. They’ve hurt him because of us.”

“Cisco,” Kendra said. “What people do to try and hurt you isn’t your fault and you know Barry doesn’t blame you for any of it.”

“And when Grodd kidnapped him it was because he wanted something from Barry,” Wally said. “He only got kidnapped by Tony and Zoom the first time because he stepped between them and me.”

“Because he was protecting you and he was always going to do that,” Cisco said. “Lisa hurt him because he tried to protect me.”

“And because she wanted Iris’ name,” Kendra said. “Cisco-”

“You weren’t there with Turtle! You didn’t see how scared he was and he almost died and it was because of me! And now Iris ran to the future and saw his funeral and I know he said he trusts us and he believes we’ll save him but we don’t even know what’s going to happen and I also know he made sure his will was in order last week and I heard him talking to you about taking care of me!”

“Cisco-”

He stormed out.

“I’ll go after him,” Kendra said. Iris nodded.

“Did you know he’d talked to Kendra about that?” Wally asked.

“No,” Iris said. “I didn’t know about his will either.”

“He does know-”

“He always knows. He said that after Turtle.”

“You never talk about it.”

No, they didn’t. Turtle was just the three of them, her, Cisco, and Barry. Kendra had been off with the Legends, she’d just found Carter, and Iris hadn’t even been sure she’d been coming back. She’d just found her soulmate she had a four thousand year long history with. She had come back, Kendra had told her it wasn’t a coincidence her wings had emerged when Iris had been temporarily powerless and needed her, and her past lives didn’t matter, in this one she chose to be with Iris, but back then Iris thought it was just over between them. And Wally had been working on something, he knew a little more, but they didn’t like talking about it.

But he’d escaped. Iris had run to the future and seen Barry’s funeral, heard someone called Cobalt Blue was responsible, and so far the only thing they knew about him was that he’d helped Turtle escape Iron Heights. And now, according to Cecile, footage had been sent to the Fallville police apparently showing Barry in the same suit Cobalt Blue had used when he’d broken into Iron Heights, only without a cowl. And he’d been accused of murdering someone called Frederick Gilmore. Barry had no idea who that was, but he had been in Fallville visiting family that weekend and it had been the middle of the night and everyone had been asleep, so he had no alibi.

“We have to find out who did it,” Iris said. “The best way to prove it wasn’t Barry is to prove it was someone else.”

“We don’t have long.”

“I know.”

* * *

Cisco’s firefighter suit had never quite made it to its original purpose. Back then, no one had wanted anything to do with S.T.A.R. Labs, not after the accelerator. But it had fit her when she’d woken up with superpowers. Looking back on it, Eobard had probably given Cisco the mannequin he’d used to model it knowing it would become her Flash suit.

It had changed a little since then. Cisco had tailored it to fit her perfectly, taking out a little of the extra space he’d left thinking about layers. And he’d made it more streamlined for running which had meant sacrificing a little of the padding he’d added as protection from falling debris and other hazards, but she was fast enough to dodge things like that. Usually. The boots were mid-thigh high still, but instead of the original yellow, heavy, protective boots, they were thinner and made of the same material and were the same colour as the suit. They almost looked like they were part of it, if she hadn’t known. The thick soles had stayed to try and protect her feet as much as possible, as well as some support around her ankles, but they were much more flexible, and the steel-toe caps had been the first thing to go. Those had not been comfortable to run in.

The suit itself came all the way up, reaching her hairline at the back and was a little lower at the front, just covering her chin. The helmet had become much thinner to make it more streamlined, more like a bicycle helmet without air holes than the original one based on current firefighting equipment. They’d trialled the idea of just bringing the suit all the way up, but it was a lot easier to tuck her hair into a helmet, and that at least slightly reduced how windswept it would get running faster than the speed of sound. And, accelerated healing or not, if Iris was going to hit her head at super speed a little extra protection would probably be good. Having a separate helmet meant it was easier for Barry to get it off in emergences too. The visor from the original helmet had gone though and been replaced by thick red goggles with yellow lenses to both obscure as much of her face as possible and protect her eyes.

The suit was still scarlet though. They’d never changed the colour. Oliver might grumble about stealth, but it had been designed to be easy to spot, and at least she hadn’t decided a sleeveless costume was a good idea. The original suit even had reflective strips, though those had become much thinner, just thin streaks running up her sides from her boots, wrapping around from under her arms around her shoulders to touch at the back, flashing almost like a lightning bolt arcing around her when they caught the light right. And the purple lightning bolt on her chest Cisco had added the moment the two of them decided to keep up this superhero thing had never changed. It was different from when they’d started, everything was different, she was different, but some parts stayed the same.

Way back when, when she’d first woken up, it had been Cisco at her side ready to help her become a superhero with no hesitation. Kendra and Barry had been a little more apprehensive. She had just woken up from a coma. Her dad had been against the idea, but since she was doing it anyway, he said he’d rather be helping her than her sneaking around behind his back. Caitlin and Doctor Wells hadn’t liked the idea either, but they’d eventually agreed to help with metahumans. They’d all agreed to keep Wally out of it. It was dangerous, and the lightning looked so much like what they’d seen that night. Wally had already snuck off the Starling the day before the accelerator when everyone was distracted and had never explained why he’d called Barry to ask about poisons. He still hadn’t, not really, he’d just introduced Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak to her one day, coincidentally the very same day she ran into the Arrow. But Wally had been writing about the Flash even back then. He’d named her. And he hadn’t listened when Iris had shown up in costume disguising her voice and warned him it was dangerous.

He was part of Team Flash now. They weren’t even just Team Flash, even though everyone still called them that. The Flash, Hawkgirl, and Vibe were Central’s heroes. Wally was an investigative journalist for Picture News and loving it, and his co-worker Linda Park seemed nice. Barry had been developing powers over the past year where he could glow blue and accelerate healing, both his own and other people’s. Iris had joined her dad’s P.I. business. Kendra was teaching history and her past lives and time travelling friends occasionally came in helpful. Cisco and Barry were slowly turning S.T.A.R. Labs into a place metahumans could come for help. Mostly medical right now, and Cisco was working on prosthetics too. There were other Earths. Time travel. Doctor Wells had been an evil speedster from the future who hated her and who Detective Thawne had died to stop. So much was different.

She’d hoped the thing that would always be the five of them and her dad. Both as Team Flash and as her family.

“Iris?” Kendra asked. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Iris said. “Was Cisco right? About Barry...”

“He just wanted to talk. He has endless faith in you and Cisco, Iris, he has no doubts the two of you will do everything in your power to change the future. He believes you can do it. He just wanted to make sure if the worst happens Cisco, Nora, Henry, and you are all okay.”

“But we will save him.”

“I know. He knows that too. As long as it doesn’t involve crossing a line. He said he trusted me to know where it is.”

“We have to find Cobalt Blue and Turtle.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Yes, you do.”

* * *

Iris might have been the one with super speed, but when it came to hacking, there was no one faster than Felicity Smoak. She hadn’t been able to find out who had sent the video, but it seemed to be real. And she had found that Frederick Gilmore had been a doctor. And Nora and Henry had recognised the name.

“It didn’t even occur to me Barry wasn’t born in Central,” Wally said.

“You have literally known him your entire life,” Iris said.

“No, I did know he wasn’t, I know the Allens moved here when Barry was four right before he started school and that’s how you two met, which is how our parents met Nora and Henry and found out they were their new neighbours and helped them settle in which is how they became friends, I’ve heard it plenty of times,” Wally said. “It’s just the idea of someone else living at Nora and Henry’s is weird.”

“But Barry does have a connection to Doctor Gilmore, even if he doesn’t know it,” Kendra said. “That’s probably not going to help.”

“Especially not since he was sacked for medical negligence six years after Barry was born,” Iris said. “And one of the pieces of evidence in his hearing was an informal complaint Henry had filed.”

“A complaint?”

“Fallville is only a small town, it doesn’t have a big hospital, and apparently Doctor Gilmore was the only available doctor when Nora arrived. She asked to wait for Henry, he’d gone out on a call but it was stormy and there was a tree across the road, not that she knew that, and he was running late. He only just got there in time. He said something about Gilmore had rubbed Nora the wrong way from the start, and at the time Henry had questioned if he’d been drinking. When Nora asked, he went to make a note of it, but they got distracted and the only reason it was noted at all was because the receptionist Henry talked to was an old friend.”

“And Barry didn’t know any of that,” Wally said.

“By the time someone brought it up again they’d moved and tried to put it behind them, Henry gave them a statement but that was it. They don’t like talking about it. Apparently Barry knows something went wrong, but not details, and Henry doesn’t think he’s ever heard Gilmore’s name.”

“It could still be used against Barry,” Cisco said.

“Cecile said they’ve taken a DNA sample. A shape shifter wouldn’t match Barry’s, that’s how they proved Hannibal Bates was the one behind those robberies and when he framed Patty.”

“And a shape shifter could have just picked Barry by coincidence if they’d passed him earlier that day.”

“Or it could be mind control,” Wally said. “Like Grodd? Abra Kadabra hypnotised people, and we know Cobalt Blue got into Iron Heights somehow.”

“That’ll only prove Barry was there,” Iris said. “We have to prove he’s not Cobalt Blue.”

“We know nothing about him,” Cisco said.

“I might have an idea.”

* * *

“You’re trusting me?” Doctor Caitlin Snow- now far more commonly known as Killer Frost- asked. It hadn’t been hard to find her at Saints and Sinners, the Rogue’s favourite bar. It seemed the once biochemist turned thief was now a bartender.

“Barry trusts you,” Iris said.

“He shouldn’t. I hurt him.”

“You weren’t the only one,” Lisa Snart- Captain Cold- said. “I thought we were never working together again, West.”

“You’ve both betrayed us,” Iris said. “You I should have expected, everyone told me asking you and your brother for help was a bad idea. Caitlin, you were our friend.”

“I know,” Caitlin said. “If I could change it, I would.”

“You can’t. Time travel doesn’t work that way. But you can fix it now. We need help.”

* * *

Cisco threw a vibe blast at them as soon as Iris walked in with Caitlin and Lisa. Iris had been expecting that and moved them out the way.

“What are they doing here?” Wally asked.

“They’re here to help,” Iris said.

“Help?” Cisco asked. “Help?”

“Told you they wouldn’t like it,” Lisa said.

“They’re the villains, they are not here to help us.”

“Glider and Heatwave became Legends,” Kendra said. “Leonard saved us while I was one of them. If they can change, why can’t Lisa?”

“Because she tried to kill Iris and she hurt Barry. And we definitely can’t trust _her._ I made that mistake before, I won’t do it again.”

“Cisco-” Caitlin said.

“Get out my lab, Killer Frost.”

“I made a mistake. I should have told you when I found out Wells had been lying about his injuries. I should have told you what Hartley told me about the accelerator. I was just so caught up in Ronnie being alive I didn’t think. And I didn’t know Iris back then, but I knew you and Barry cared about her and you needed S.T.A.R. Labs and Wells’ resources to save her, so I didn’t tell you then because I thought it was best to just let you focus on saving your friend, and it took so much longer than I thought it would and then Iris woke up and she was nice, and I should have talked to you then, but as far as you were all concerned he was helping you, he’d saved Iris’ life, and I didn’t. I never meant for you to get hurt, we were only thinking about Wells. Neither of us ever wanted to hurt you or Barry.”

“But you did. You betrayed us. You were our friend and you shattered his leg.”

“He was there when I was on my way to open Hartley’s cell. He knew something was going on. And I should have explained. I should have talked to him, I know that, but I panicked. Hartley had been helping me learn to control my powers, but I didn’t know, I swear I didn’t mean for it to be that bad, I just meant to distract him. I should have said this so long ago, and I know it will never be enough, but I am so sorry, Cisco.”

“You knew his leg was hurting from where she’d given him frost bite the week before torturing him to get me to tell her Iris’ name. I know you knew because you were the one insisting he still use crutches. You meant to hurt him. By the time we got down there I found Barry in tears not because of the pain, but because you were the one who hurt him. You’re right, it is never going to be enough. I am never going to forgive you. Why are you even here?”

“Because Iris said you needed help, that Barry was in danger, and I care about you.”

“Fine. I’ll work with you. But only because I will do anything to save him. This won’t fix anything between us.”

“I don’t expect it to. Iris said he’s been arrested.”

“Three weeks ago, Iris threw Doctor Alchemy’s philosopher’s stone into the Speed Force and the blow back threw her into the future,” Kendra said. “She was only there for a few moments, the Earth-3 Flash pulled her back, but she was three days from now, at Barry’s funeral, and the only thing we know is that someone called Cobalt Blue is responsible. Cisco’s tried vibing but with no luck so far.”

“We have had luck,” Cisco said. “I’m having the same vibe as when Turtle took him the first time, I think maybe I was vibing too far into the future back then. And we know Cobalt Blue broke Turtle out of Iron Heights five days ago. He’s going to finish what he started and it’s all my fault.”

“It isn’t,” Wally said. “Turtle’s not going to be able to get him right now, he’s in C.C.P.D.”

“That won’t stop him.”

“Iris,” Kendra said. “I think we need to know.”

“I know.”

The Turtle had been the first time Iris had seen Barry properly terrified after a supervillain decided to kidnap him, and that included Reverse Flash. He’d somehow stayed calm with Tony despite knowing he could get hurt, probably because he was just focused on keeping Wally out of it. When Lisa had kidnapped him the second time he’d only worried about Cisco. Eobard he’d been worried about Iris and Wally- especially when he saw Wally in the Cortex too with her in her suit- and a little unsure of whether or not he actually deserved his job since apparently Eobard only hired him so he could get Iris to S.T.A.R. Labs the night of the accelerator. At least that had been easy to deal with.

But Turtle...

It had been just the three of them that day. Kendra had been with the Legends. Wally was following a lead for his drag racing story. Their dad was in Keystone on a case. Harry and Jay had been working on something, which they later realised had been a way to steal Iris’ speed when Jay revealed himself to be Hunter Zoloman. But Cisco had been looking into the metahuman he’d dubbed the Turtle for months. He stole things people considered to be their most valued possessions. And there had recently been a donation at the art museum that fit perfectly.

Cisco and Iris had been the ones to go in, undercover. Barry had waited in the mobile lab outside, keeping an eye on everything and on comms. Normally that would have been Cisco’s job, but he knew more about the Turtle’s powers than anyone. He’d even found out his name: Russell Glosson. And he had a theory his powers might help them stop Zoom.

He’d been right. Turtle did show up. And when he activated his powers, it was like everyone in the room froze. Iris couldn’t run. She could see, which she was sure the others couldn’t- but she couldn’t run. It took all her effort to push Detective Spivot out of the way of the falling chandelier when Glosson had shot it to make his escape. But she wasn’t in her costume, and there was glass sticking in her arm. Patty took their statements, helped clean Iris’ arm up, and then they’d been told there was C.C.T.V. footage of Glosson taking the mobile lab with Barry in it. And while they’d been waiting, he’d been getting away.

He’d ditched the lab by the time they found it and taken another car, at least two by the time they’d tracked him down, and they’d only done that because Cisco vibed Barry. He refused to leave Iris’ side, and she’d run them both in. And when Cisco had seen Barry tied to a chair, Glosson standing over him with a thick liquid in an I.V., holding the needle right by Barry’s arm, and the corpse of Rosalyn Glosson preserved in a glass case, he’d screamed and thrown his arms out. His first ever vibe blast had thrown Turtle across the room. Knocking him out was one way to stop him.

C.C.P.D. arrived to arrest Glosson. Patty had brought them. Iris had waited in her suit. Cisco hadn’t been able to, not out of costume, and he didn’t have one yet. He’d hidden, waited for them to let Iris and Barry go, and Iris had just said her friend Vibe had helped.

The worst part, Barry had said later when the three of them had got home, the worst part was that Turtle hadn’t even considered it as killing him. Barry was just another trophy, and he had to preserve him properly. He worked slowly, and he talked while he worked. He told Barry all about how his wife had been going to leave him and that was how his collection started. And he talked about how Cisco had been the one to notice him, to draw attention to him, and how he’d been following him and seen him with Barry so often he knew he was the perfect addition to his collection. And Barry knew they were coming. He knew Iris and Cisco would always come. But usually when he got kidnapped, they needed him alive to use against Iris or Cisco and he hated that people hurt them, sometimes he hated it worked, but mostly he hated that people hurt them. Turtle was different though. Turtle had wanted a figurine like he’d turned Rosalyn Glosson into and for the first time he’d been scared they wouldn’t find him in time. And he hadn’t wanted them to find him. He hadn’t wanted them to have to see him like that.

“You never told me that,” Wally said when Iris finished explaining. “You said he’s taken Barry, and Linda wrote the story and I’d heard about what he did to Rosalyn, but you never said he was going to do it to Barry.”

“But it wasn’t your fault,” Caitlin said. “Cisco, what someone else does to hurt you isn’t your fault.”

“He had Barry for three hours,” Cisco said. “And we made it by seconds. I don’t know how long it would have taken him to finish working, he told Barry it was a very slow process if he wanted to preserve him right, but it’s only because he took so long to get there and he worked so slowly we got there in time. And we got there expecting to be too late because I didn’t see him alive in my vibe. I saw exactly what Turtle was planning on doing to him, because he wanted to take the most important thing from me. You and Rory took Barry first to hurt Iris, then to get me to build you new guns, even though they were designed for testing equipment, they were never meant to be used against people, and you used them to hurt my friend and the man I love. Reverse Flash took him to use him against Iris. He employed him so Iris would be here that night. Zoom took him twice to use him against Iris, Girder took him to use against Iris. At least when Grodd took him it was actually because he wanted Barry’s help, even if I wish it hadn’t involved kidnapping. I don’t know who Cobalt Blue is. I don’t know anything about him. But I know every second Turtle is free, Barry is in danger.”

“What can we do to help?” Caitlin asked.

* * *

Iris was really hoping their plan would work. Trusting Captain Cold was very risky, she knew that. But she’d draw Cobalt Blue out better than they could.

Cecile had managed to arrange bail for Barry. He’d had to spend the night at C.C.P.D., but now Nora and Henry were picking him up. They’d parked the mobile lab outside Jitters. It was close enough to C.C.P.D. they’d be able to get there in a blink of an eye if anything happened. Once upon a time, Iris and Kendra had worked here together. That had been a long time ago.

The door opened.

“Hi, Frankie,” Iris said. “Is everything okay?”

“Nora and Henry told me you were all in here waiting,” Frankie Kane said. “And I should come tell you that Barry’s DNA came back as a match for their sample and Joe’s there too, he said you asked him to look into it and he's got Barry an alibi for when Cobalt Blue was breaking into Iron Heights proving it's not Barry, so I think they’re arguing again. Barry’s in trouble. I want to help.”

“You’re-”

“Don’t say I’m just a kid. I’m a metahuman too, and if it hadn’t been for Wally I’d still be stuck with John and Nora and Henry gave me a home and Barry’s basically my brother now, so I think I should be allowed to help. Barry lets me help with his research at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

“That’s different,” Cisco said. “That’s scientific research, this is two men who have killed people before and are likely to do it again, and it seems incredibly likely the next person is going to be Barry.”

“That’s why you might need help. I could throw lampposts at them.”

“I think Barry would prefer you wait a little while,” Kendra said. “Just stay safe.”

“Barry always wants everyone to stay safe. That’s not how life works.”

“That’s true,” Wally said. “But you are only sixteen.”

“That’s old enough to do a lot of things. You don’t have any powers.”

“They do say the pen is mightier than a sword.”

“Not when you’re physically fighting people.”

“She’s got you there,” Kendra said. “I would rather have a sword in this situation.”

“You have a huge club thing.”

“It’s called a mace and you know that. Also, I have two hands.”

“You’re right-handed.”

“I was born four thousand years ago the first time, I do know how to use weapons with both of my hands.”

“She also speaks fifteen languages,” Iris said. “Some of them are even still spoken today.”

“If more modern versions,” Kendra said. “My French is around five centuries out of date.”

“You guys are so weird,” Frankie said. “So I can help, right?”

“Yes,” Cisco said. “You can help by going to S.T.A.R. Labs and finding me a pair of meta dampening cuffs.”

“I can see four pairs on the side already.”

“Four?” Iris said. She looked at Cisco. “We’re not arresting Cold and Frost.”

“They’re criminals. We should be arresting them.”

“They’re helping us.”

“Or they’re betraying us again. I’m just taking precautions.”

“I have a deal with Lisa, Cisco.”

“You might, I don’t. Definitely don’t have one with Caitlin.”

“Don’t you think asking them for help and then arresting them is also betraying them?”

“They started it.”

“She just missed Ronnie,” Wally said.

“So did I. I blamed myself for his death for over a year and a half. She could have told me a month later he wasn’t dead. I could have helped. But she decided she knew better, and she was going to lie to me for over a year, and she was going to hurt the people I love. I don’t care if she says she didn’t mean to hurt Barry that badly, she still intentionally hurt him. She never meant for us to get hurt but obviously when your friend betrays you, it hurts.”

“If it had been Barry-”

“I would have talked to her. She already suspected Wells was Reverse Flash. At this point she knew Reverse Flash had killed your mother. And she kept that from you.”

“You all kept Iris being the Flash from me for a year.”

“That’s different.”

“Because it was keeping me safe? She said she was trying to give you a way to save Iris.”

“We had saved Iris. She had been awake for months when they did this. Caitlin could have talked to us so many times, and she didn’t, and she hurt Barry. She let Iris’ care be left in the hands of a man she suspected was a terrible person. He could have done anything. Why are you all expecting me to just forget that?”

“I’m not expecting you to,” Iris said. “I’m not expecting you to forgive her. I just need her help, and she says she wants to make it right and maybe she never can, but we need to do something.”

“Kendra.”

“Leonard betrayed us,” she said. “When I was with the Legends.”

“Yeah, he’s Golden Glider, what did you expect?”

“He was being controlled by the Time Masters. It was a mess. But he came back. He helped us. We could not have stopped Savage or the Time Masters without him. Because after everything he’d done, after betraying Mick, he still cared about him more than the consequences of betraying the Time Masters.”

“She made all these decisions with her own free will.”

“I know. But I think when she said she cares about you, she meant that. Thawne betrayed us. Hunter Zoloman lied for months, I left thinking Iris would be all right because she had another speedster to help, and he was Zoom, not Jay Garrick. Harry betrayed you.”

“I mean, that one was on us, he did say to our faces if it came to choosing between Jesse and us, he would pick Jesse every time and that we shouldn’t trust him.”

“Do you hold it against all them?”

“Um, yes? Thawne kidnapped Barry and kept him locked under the Pipeline for a week and Zoom kidnapped him twice.”

“One of those was my fault,” Wally said.

“No. Barry stepped between you and Zoom to protect you, same as when he stepped between you are Tony Woodward, because he cares about you and wanted to keep you safe and it was the only thing he could think of. But Zoom and Reverse Flash are dead. She’s walking around facing no consequences for her actions.”

“I’m pretty sure there are some consequences, Cisco,” Iris said.

“Prison would be one.”

“I’m with Cisco,” Frankie said. “I have no idea what you’re talking about but if she hurt Barry then it sounds like she sucks.”

“Did you go to S.T.A.R. Labs?” Cisco asked.

“No, because I know what a pointless go be somewhere else task is and you already have everything you need.”

“Fine, why don’t you help Wally with comms? You’ll be in the van, but you will be helping.”

“Fine.”

* * *

They were waiting ages before a blast of ice coated the front of the mobile lab. That was the signal.

Cobalt Blue in a blue and white suit, holding Barry by the back of his shirt. His hands were locked in meta cuffs. And Turtle was standing right next to him, with Lisa and Caitlin on either side.

“Let him go,” Iris said.

“You’re the Flash,” Cobalt Blue said. “Captain Cold said you were looking for me.”

“Let him go.”

“Why would I do that? Barry and I have some things to discuss before I kill him.”

Iris ran at them.

“No, don’t hurt him!” Barry said.

Iris tripped and fell. She looked at her hands and tried to vibrate them, but nothing happened.

“What the hell?”

“That’s interesting,” Cobalt Blue said. His own hand was vibrating. Not as fast as Iris, but too fast for anyone who wasn’t a speedster. And it was glowing blue, just like Barry did when he healed. “You three said you could handle those three?”

“Handle this,” Cisco said. He threw a vibe blast and Turtle send a pulse wave at him. Cisco froze, and the blast fizzled out.

“That won’t work on me again,” Turtle said slowly. Kendra flew at them, and Turtle caught her in another pulse.

“I thought this would be a lot more challenging,” Cobalt Blue said. A lamppost flew at them and knocked him away from the fight. Iris could feel her speed again.

Frankie was stood there.

“Get away from my foster brother.”

“Oh, you’re the one they replaced me with,” Cobalt Blue said.

“No, leave her alone,” Barry said. “No one replaced you, we thought you were dead, you were stolen from us.”

“What?” Cisco asked. Turtle’s pulse had stopped.

“He’s my brother,” Barry said. “Flash, please, don’t hurt him, he’s my brother.”

“He just said he wants to kill you,” Lisa said. “Multiple times. He broke into C.C.P.D. to kidnap you to kill you then hand you over to Turtle who wants to put you on display.”

Cobalt Blue stood up, and Iris went to run forward, but Turtle sent a pulse at her. She didn’t have enough momentum, and her powers were flickering.

And then Turtle dropped to the floor, and Caitlin lowered the icicle she’d used to hit him around the head. Cisco threw a pair of meta cuffs at her and she put them on him.

Cobalt Blue had already grabbed Barry again.

“I should have known the two of you asking after me wasn’t my good fortune,” he said. “How long have you been working with the Flash?”

“He saved my brother’s life,” Lisa said. “He’s a good doctor, and he’s been useful before, it’s in my best interests to keep him around.”

“Too bad,” Cobalt Blue said. A sword formed out of the blue glow in the hand he wasn’t using to hold Barry. “I had plans, I was going to make you suffer first, but as long as you end up dead, the specifics aren’t that important.”

Iris watched in slow motion as he turned the sword towards Barry, aiming for his heart. She couldn’t breathe, Barry-

And then Cobalt Blue stumbled away, clutching his own side. Wally was standing there, and Cobalt Blue pulled a pen out of his side.

“What is this?”

“Just proving a point,” Wally said. Cobalt Blue went to stand again, and Kendra swooped down and grabbed him, lifting him off the ground. Iris zipped forward with a pair of meta cuffs and locked Cobalt Blue’s wrists in them.

“I’m going to get out of these,” he spat. “He’ll die for what he did, Flash.”

“Not if we have anything to say about it, he won’t,” Iris said. Police officers were coming out of C.C.P.D. “Over here.”

“Thanks, Flash,” Patty said. “You okay, Barry?”

“No,” Barry said. “Not really. Frankie.”

“Barry!” She ran over and hugged him. “I’m-”

“You count. What he said isn’t important. You are my sister now. You count.”

“Hey, wait,” Cisco said. “They helped.”

Iris turned to see Lisa and Caitlin being put in handcuffs.

“It’s okay, Vibe,” Caitlin said. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“Besides,” Lisa said. “You know these aren’t going to hold me for long.”

Iris watched them take Cobalt Blue, Turtle, Lisa, and Caitlin into the building. Barry followed Patty in, Frankie still holding onto him. Kendra slipped her hand into Iris’.

“He’s okay,” she said. “He’ll be okay.”

“I know.”

* * *

Henry had been right. Doctor Gilmore had been drinking that night. And because of that, Hugo and Charlene Thawne’s baby had died. So, they and Gilmore made a deal. Nora and Henry had twins and both of them were healthy, but surely it was fairer if they both left with a baby each. They took Malcolm. Gave Nora and Henry the dead baby. It was why Henry hadn’t followed up on the complaint, they’d had to cope with the loss of their child only hours after they’d been born. And when Malcolm had found out the truth, he’d been furious. He’d been looking for Gilmore, blaming him for taking him away from the happy life he could have had. Mostly he blamed Barry. Blamed Barry for being the one who got to stay with Nora and Henry, who got the happy life, the parents who loved him, the only person who’d ever been nice to him was his supposed cousin, Detective Eddie Thawne. Who had been Iris’ friend. Who had died stopping Reverse Flash, who had shot himself in the heart, but Malcolm didn’t know that, all he knew was that Barry had been there, Barry was the doctor who didn’t save him, and that had made everything so much worse. Though it did explain why Eddie had thought Barry had seemed familiar when they’d met. He hadn’t seen Malcolm since they were children apparently, not after Hugo Thawne was arrested and Eddie’s parents had distanced themselves, but that didn’t matter to Malcolm.

Barry was just glad to be home. It was a bit difficult for anyone to claim he was Cobalt Blue when Cobalt Blue had shown up with plans to kidnap then murder him.

“At least it was about me this time?” Barry said. “Sort of. It was Gilmore and the Thawnes, I was only a few hours old, but he was blaming me.”

“I’m still not letting you out of my sight for the next two days,” Cisco said.

“I don’t plan on letting you,” Barry said. “Caitlin came.”

“I asked her,” Iris said. “She cares about you.”

“I care about her. Do you think they’ll let me see her?”

“She still hurt you,” Cisco said. “Do not mistake me pointing out they helped for forgiveness.”

“At least it was a start,” Kendra said.

“Fine. It was a start.”

“And Wally,” Barry said. “You stabbed him with a pen.”

“Yeah,” Wally said.

“How did you get there so fast?”

“I have no idea. It was like time froze for a second.”

“It what?” Iris asked.

“Time froze? I just saw him about to stab Barry and I did the first thing that came into my head.”

“Well, thank you,” Barry said. Iris kept frowning. Time froze, that sounded incredibly familiar. “I know West-Allen Movie Night is officially next week, but I think we probably need one.”

“That sounds good, Bare,” Iris said.

* * *

“What’s bugging you?” Kendra asked when they got home. “You were quiet all through the film.”

“Wally,” Iris said. “He said time froze.”

“That doesn’t have to be literal.”

“I know. But there’s no way he could have got there in time at normal speed, and I didn’t see him until he was standing there. I know I wasn’t paying attention to that, but you remember what Thawne said, that Wally had the potential to be a speedster too. It’s genetic, we’re siblings, the Mardon brothers have the same powers, Barry said he and Cobalt Blue had the same powers, that he can probably learn to do all that too, and we know on Earth-3 Wally’s a speedster.”

“You think he has powers.”

“I don’t know. I think it’s possible.”

“We’ll figure it out, Iris. Together.”

“Together.”


End file.
